What is “reasonable & necessary”?

If you’re transitioning to the NDIS, you may find yourself wading through a sea of new information. On the way, you’ll probably keep coming across the NDIS term “reasonable and necessary”, but what exactly does this mean?

Let us help.

Simply put, reasonable is something that is fair and necessary is something you have to have because of your disability.

But what are reasonable and necessary supports?

The NDIS funds “reasonable and necessary supports” relating to your disability to help you live an ordinary life and achieve your goals.

During your Plan meeting, your NDIS Planner will gather information on what supports are reasonable and necessary for your situation by evaluating whether a support request is:

related to your disability and support needs

good value for money

likely to be effective and beneficial to you.

Your NDIS Planner will also consider the unpaid, informal supports you receive from family, friends and your support crew (including support workers, support networks and the community).

Some examples that may be approved include:

Support workers to help with personal care activities

Therapeutic supports like behaviour support

Aids and equipment

Home modifications

Mobility equipment.

Things that your NDIS Plan won’t cover:

NDIS funding doesn’t cover general everyday living expenses that people without disability would be required to pay, such as train travel, rent, groceries, mobile phone or movie tickets.

Every person is different so it’s important that you are prepared to demonstrate why a request should be deemed ‘fair and reasonable’ in your situation.

The Leap in! app is a great place to save your thoughts on this and you can also invite members of your crew into the app to add additional supporting information as well.

Need help?

Navigating the NDIS can be tricky. Let us help you prepare for your first meeting (or a review meeting) to ensure you’re prepared confident and relaxed. You can take a look at our previous article Are you prepared for your Plan meeting?

Call us on 1300 05 78 78 to book your free NDIS pre-planning consultation with one of our Leap in! plan managers today.